Red Cross Golf Tournament

I had a busy Friday traveling to Southern Maryland for the F. George Heinze Memorial Golf Tournament benefiting the Southern Maryland Chapter of the American Red Cross. Mike Zabko, the CEO of the Southern Maryland Chapter of the American Red Cross, asked me if I would help them. I said yes without hesitation. Mike and his crew are wonderful people who give of themselves and I felt privileged to be asked to help them.

On my way down, I stopped in Mechanicsville and the home of WSMD radio, home of the T-Bone and Heather morning show. I first met the pair after the La Plats tornado in 2002. They have just returned to the airwaves after a 1 1/2 year hiatus. It's good to have them back and good to see them again. They're married and have a little boy and they told me that they are also very happy to be back in Southern Maryland.

After the visit, I was off to Swan Point Yacht & Country Club for the golf tournament. I drove through Chaptico and then down to the extreme southwest part of Charles county. It's a beautiful part of the world and you should take the drive if you ever get the chance. I didn't go to golf, but more to help kick off the event and then help with some on course "entertainment". If you've ever seen me golf, you'll understand why I chose not to participate. It's a rather painful experience for both me and the people around me as it is a sport that I struggle with, and that's being polite.

My job was to go around and ask the golfers questions about the Red Cross. Correct answers would win 9 NEWS NOW mugs along with, and potentially more importantly, mulligans. Did you know that the biggest disaster threat to Americans is single family house fires? That was one of the things I learned on Friday. My driver for the day and the lady who made up the questions was Red Cross Volunteer Debbie May. She's a Registered Nurse and a very nice woman. Debbie was also responsible for coming up with the questions we would ask.

Here are a few of the answers in a nutshell. Clara Barton founded the Red Cross. The universal blood type is 0-negative and you can donate blood every 56 days. The Red Cross teaches water safety along with CPR and First Aid Classes. The Red Cross also uses Ham Radios as a way to communicate when the phone lines and cell phones are knocked out.

I also enjoyed meeting many of the golfers, especially Debbie Wood from St. Mary's county. Debbie told me that she watches us all the time. That's always nice to hear, so thank you Debbie and I hope your team did well.

This event was fun for the participants, but the real winner is the Red Cross and the many thousands of people who they will help when the time comes. No one wants to need the Red Cross, but it's nice to know that they are there just in case.